New York is a beach town. Ft. Tilden, the Rockaways, Jones, Jacob Riis - open secrets, accessible by bike or train, so close you can taste it.

It took me years of living here to understand. But once you do, it’s impossible to miss, like the waving arms and screeches of Cyclone riders as you come off the W 8th Street stop on the F. That moment was a revelation, of not just how expansive the city is, but of how expansive it allows you to be.

Going to the beach is a ritual now. I’ll ride my bike down Ocean Parkway and stop at Totonno’s on Neptune Ave for a slice. The rituals, and the reflection they foster, help mark the seasons and years and a life. New York is a museum of memories, the ocean but one of its many exhibits.

We asked friend and photographer Alec Kugler to capture life in the Rockaways. We spent the day with his friends, fellow surfers and perfect embodiments of the New York beachtown ethos. Laid back but tough, welcoming but discerning, salt of the earth. Fluid.

Here’s a little taste of their beach town, and ours.

Dan Snyder
Designer / Founder